Lilacs
by DZR
Summary: Ashley seeks advice from the one person who knows her mother better than her.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

John Druitt stood on the edge of the fallen bridge which once spanned from cities old to new. A warm breeze coerced his long coat into flapping in the wind and he squinted in the low evening sun making him look suitably menacing as his reputation dictated. He looked deep into the sky blue eyes staring back at him. He had never been put on the spot like this before, asked to provide a solution to an unfathomable problem.

"I really have no idea," was his reply.

"Think!"

"I don't think I'm the right person to ask."

"You are the _only_ person to ask."

His companion muttered unintelligibly, then sighed and turned away with a frown. "Fat lot of use," he caught the words on the wind.

She stalked off to the end of the broken bridge, which would never again reach the other side of the river, sat down on the tarmac and dangled her legs over the water below. Druitt watched the blonde hair blowing in the evening breeze. He could hardly believe she had contacted him, deliberately searched him out, undoubtedly without her mother's knowledge, to ask for his help.

"What did you do... previously?"

"Well, last year I was dead so fingers crossed, anything is an improvement on that."

"Ashley."

"Sorry. It's just, it's got to be special it's got to mean something. It's not like a birthday... ya know?"

He walked over and stood behind her as he listened to Ashley thinking aloud.

"I got her a Sumerian sacrificial knife one time. The blade almost curled all the way round, it was very cool. It's the first time since I've been back, I want it to be special," she said in a small voice.

Druitt sat down next to her and sighed. The things this girl could get him to do.

"I am certain that your presence would be everything she could possibly hope for."

"That sounded lame even coming from you and even if it's true. C'mon, I'm asking you because you're the only one who can help me."

"I am?"

"You've got an inside track. Is there anything, a hint, a suggestion, _any_thing?"

"You really want help from me?"

"Yes!"

"What if she knows I helped you?"

"Dude, she knows everything, just accept it already."

They stared into the river hoping for inspiration, as the sunlight sparkled and reflected back at them from the rippling water below.

"Lilacs," said Druitt in a decisive voice from beside her.

"Lilacs? Is there some special significance to them?" asked Ashley.

"I just know she likes them."

"OK I can do that." Ashley perked up now she had something solid to work with.

"And they have to be white lilacs, most certainly not purple."

* * *

"Are they ok? Do you like them?" asked Ashley as her mother inhaled the scent of the extraordinarily large bouquet in her arms.

"They are lovely and smell heavenly, thank you."

"I picked them myself," she said with a grin.

"What made you think of lilacs?" Magnus asked with a knowing gleam in her eye.

"I, uh, a little bird... I heard it on the wind."

"Mmm hmm, the wind. Well if you hear from the wind again, say thank you for me."

"Really? What do they mean? He wouldn't tell me."

"_That_, would be telling."

Ashley smirked, she'd find out one day she suspected.

"C'mon then or we'll be late. The future weapons expo has been open for ten minutes already we might have missed something really deadly!"

Magnus rolled her eyes. Some mothers were treated to a meal for mother's day or went shopping with their daughters, more than likely for clothes. The Magnus women went shopping for weapons, the more destructive the better. Ashley called from the hallway already on her way to the expo.

"Mom, don't forget your chequebook!"

* * *

Written for the new monthly challenge on the 'WWDD: The Druitt Diehards' forum. This month, 'Mother of His Child'. Come and join us Druitt fans!

Viva la resistance!


	2. Chapter 2

_A few people wanted to know what the significance of lilacs were so I went and thought on it a bit and it turns out, this is what happened. It also fits in nicely with the latest Diehard Challenge (come visit our Druitt Diehards Forum) 'Unseen Moments'._

* * *

Chapter 2

Druitt and Ashley were meeting again on the deserted broken bridge. They found each other there more often than not, neither suspecting that the other went there hopefully seeking the others company.

"How did your day go?" Asked Druitt, referring to mothers day which Ashley had previously worked herself up over.

"Pure awesomeness, you should see the plasma cannon I got. It would knock the top off Everest from here!"

"Mmmm."

Ashley glanced sideways at her father. He was being very quiet.

"So...," said Ashley, casually.

"So?" replied Druitt trying to work out to what she was referring.

"That lilac idea worked out peachy. Will one of you two please just tell me about the lilacs?"

"Ask your mother."

"She wouldn't tell me. If I didn't know her better I'd say she went all shy and embarrassed about it." Druitt avoided her gaze. "Aww c'mon, I want to know. Unless it's like something icky then please don't tell me."

He sighed rested his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in his hands with a far away look on his face.

"It was the best day of my life," he said quietly, almost talking to himself.

* * *

***fuh-fuh-fuh-flashback***

John hurried along the lane as fast as he could while trying not to break a sweat so that when he reached his destination it wouldn't appear as though he had been rushing, or too keen to get there. He tripped up the steps to the door of the Magnus house regaining his balance in an instant and rapped smartly on the door, simultaneously straightening his waistcoat and jacket. Helen answered the door with a smile, all ready for the promised 'mystery Magnus birthday surprise'.

Unable to bear not knowing what was about to happen, Helen peppered John with questions as he led her through a park heading, she noticed, in the general direction of the river.

"Where are we going?"

"I have told you a thousand times, my dear. It is a surprise. You do realise you are behaving like a small child," he said, with a chuckle. "I wont tell you no matter how much you pester. I can picture any child of yours talking non stop, always asking questions."

***flashback interruptus***

"Hey, who told you that?" interrupted Ashley.

"Told me what?"

"That I used to talk a lot."

"Used to?"

"Hey!"

"I am simply conveying what happened, now, may I get back to the story?"

"Hmmph. Please do."

***flashback resume***

They ended up at the rowing club on the river where the rowing boat 'The Gryphon' had been prepared for their use, complete with picnic box.

"Isn't that Nigel's boat? Is this the surprise, a picnic on the river? It's not your usual style," asked Helen, pleasantly surprised but in truth she had been expecting something a little more imaginative from John Druitt.

"Of course not Helen, have a little faith."

Twenty minutes later they had rowed to the outskirts of the city and were now entering the wooded countryside, old deciduous sentinels overhung the river and the bright sunshine mellowed into muted pale green light. Helen was perfectly content and relaxed, trailing her hand in the water as John guided them downstream.

"Ah, John? We appear to be taking on rather a lot of water in the bottom of the boat."

"Oh *****. Pardon me, sorry," he apologised for swearing as he frantically tried to bail some water out of the no longer waterproof boat. "We're nearly here. The other side of that island." He gave up bailing and rowed as fast as possible to the small wooded island in the middle of the river as the boat sank beneath them. The boat collapsed as it ran up on the shingle beach and they made it to the land in the nick of time.

"That bloody Nigel! Wait until I see him, I'll give him a piece of my mind. What a rickety old piece of flotsam."

John stopped cursing to see Helen watching him an amused smirk on her face.

"Would it not have been prudent to row to the bank? Now we are trapped in the middle of the river without so much as a paddle, so to speak."

"Ahem, well yes. I see your point. Our destination was the river bank the other side of this island."

"And how do you suggest we get there?" She asked calmly, peering into the fast flowing water rushing by them.

"There's only one thing for it," he smirked as without warning he scooped her off her feet and into his arms.

"John," she said, warningly.

"It will be fine, I promise. It can't be all that deep."

"John!"

"Trust me," he said, flashing her a cocky smile.

"This had better be good, John Druitt."

Helen clung tightly to him as he waded into the river, concentrating intently on not stumbling or slipping on the rocks underfoot. As they neared the river bank and John could feel shingle under his feet and not the harsh rock, he dismissed his intense concentration and looked at Helen.

"You see? No problem."

With those fateful words he tripped over a rock and fell forwards into the river soaking the two of them. Still in his arms Helen gasped at the shock of the cold water. He knelt in the water and looked guiltily at Helen still clinging on to him in his arms.

"Well at least I didn't drop you," he said with a nervous smile, hopeful for mercy. When she didn't say anything he carried on chattering. "I'm so sorry Helen, this is turning into a disaster. I should have thought about how to get back, I'm such a fool, and now we're going to look like drowned rats on the walk back."

She put a finger to his lips silencing his recriminations.

"Shhh," she ordered him. He stopped babbling. "I don't care what people will think."

"But look at the state of us."

To shut him up she kissed him.

The sun seemed to get brighter and brighter until it filled the entire sky. Everything slipped away there were no shadows just light and her. Birdsong became muffled until it disappeared and there was only the thudding of his heart. It was so loud there was no way she couldn't hear it.

Movement from the corner of Helen's eye caught her attention and she broke off the kiss to see the fairylike abnormal watching them.

"Did you see that?" she asked, in wonder.

"Whuh? Pardon?" gabbled John, unable to think, let alone see.

"There were ... I don't know... fairies, I suppose. Watching us!"

The blue folk had seemed to Helen to whisper to each other, tittering at the sight of the sopping wet humans in front of them and then fluttered away into the undergrowth.

"Oh them," said John, still dazed. "Yes, that was why I brought you here." He staggered to his feet and offered her his hand which, when accepted, pulled her to her feet. "That was supposed to be your surprise," he said, feeling that he was the one who had received the surprise. "They're through here."

He pulled her toward the thick shrubs on the riverbank, knelt down and started crawling into the lilac bushes which had taken over the riverbank.

"Come on, Helen," he called as she hesitated.

"John, what on earth are you doing?"

"Trust me."

She sighed, climbed down and followed him in to the shrubs.

"Oh!"

"Shhh, don't let them know we're here."

She watched in delighted fascination as vivid blue, fairy like abnormals barely six inches tall and yet perfectly formed mini humans with wings, danced and skated over the water unaware they were being observed. John didn't even flick a glance to them, he had eyes only for the beautiful woman next to him, leaves in her hair, clothes ruffled and sopping wet and a streak of dirt down her cheek. He decided then and there to marry her.

Unsurprisingly, the abnormals quickly dispersed after realising they were being watched. Helen sighed as she turned to John and said.

"This may be the best birthday I've ever had."

He smiled.

'Damn,' he thought. He couldn't stop smiling like an idiot.

'He's so sweet,' thought Helen, 'what a gorgeous smile.'

Helen and John spent the remainder of the afternoon drying off in the warm sunshine, wandering along the riverbank hand in hand, exploring the riverside and searching for a place where the abnormals might live. Eventually, as the sun sank in the sky John darted over to the landing spot on the riverside where the day's adventure had begun and picked a huge bunch of white lilacs which were growing all along the riverbank filling the cooling air with their scent. He gave them to his lady and they walked home in the dusk.

* * *

Back in the present day, on the bridge, Ashley had a huge smile on her face. They were so sweet! She grimaced as she thought of the last date she had been on in comparison. Druitt rubbed his eyes with his hands and muttered into them in frustration.

"I'm such a fool."

"Yeah." He looked up at the comment. Ashley shrugged. "What? You are."

"You're not supposed to agree with me."

"Oh-kay." Ashley rolled her eyes. "So?"

"So?"

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Do? About what?"

"You really are a fool."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Hey Mom! There's something we've got to tell you," said Ashley, bursting into the large stone kitchen of the Sanctuary. "Hold up!" she exclaimed, the vital piece of news quickly discarded as she took in the sight in front of her. "What are you doing? What's going on? Where's the Big guy? What do you think you're doing?" Ashley sounded progressively more horrified as she realised what the scene before her entailed. "Are you _cooking_?"

Helen straightened up from the position she had taken her face set with deep concentration as she measured ingredients. A streak of flour was unknowingly rubbed into her hair as she ran her fingers through her fringe in frustration as she tried to work out why the ingredients listed were never what she thought _should _be put in.

"Yes, I am cooking," Helen admitted, slightly insulted by the look on Ashley's face. "Try not to sound too surprised. Bigfoot has gone to bed early, Henry dropped a rather large crate on his head so I've demanded that he take some rest."

"Oh right, well I'd better go check on him make sure he's, you know, OK," Ashley said casually, trying to back out of the room.

"Wait, didn't you have something to tell me? And what is he doing here?" Helen asked sharply, her eyes narrowing as she observed John trying to back out of the kitchen without being noticed. He had tried Helen's cooking before.

"It can wait. We wont get in your way," said Ashley, attempting to follow her father.

It was too late.

"Try it." Helen waved a sharp kitchen knife in the air indicating the pot in front of her.

Ashley swallowed nervously. "What is it?"

"What do you mean, 'What is it?' I'll have you know I have spent _hours_ making this." Helen glared at her daughter, then noticing for the first time that she was half soaked with water and that the water was now steaming off her clothes in the oppressive heat of the much trialled kitchen. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

"Are those walnuts?" asked Ashley, warily eyeing up the concoction bubbling in the pot in front of them.

"Yes."

Ashley looked desperately at John. "Are you going to try some?" she asked trying to deflect some of the expectant food tasting off her and on to any nearby victim.

"No."

Helen gave him a sharp look. "Why not?" she demanded.

"I've already eaten," he stated calmly lying.

"Yeah, we had McD's," said Ashley jumping on the back of the lie, astonished that she could have missed such an obvious escape.

Helen raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Well you know what, Miss Ashley? There is no way on this Earth, John would ever eat a MacDonalds."

"Oh," said Ashley faintly, realising her fatal mistake. "Where's Henry? Has he tried some?" She was determined not to be the only one to endure this torture.

"Try it," ordered her mother having found her other guinea pig, Henry, highly conspicuous by his absence.

"No, wait! There's something urgent we came to tell you. We haven't got time to eat."

"What is it?"

Ashley looked to her father for help. It wasn't as urgent as she had made out. He took another step backwards still going for the escape. In truth, he had been looking forward to seeing Helen again, even if only for a few moments, but the smell emanating from the angrily frothing pots were rather unsettling.

"We were at the old bridge and saw a body float past. It washed up along the riverbank at the edge of the dock. We pulled it in and it was a man dressed in Cabal uniform. There were huge claw marks all over him, possibly from an abnormal. We put the body in your lab, we thought you'd want to check it out."

"I see. And?"

"That's it," admitted Ashley. "We thought you'd want to know."

"I do, thank you. But why is that so urgent that I have to rush away this second? If he is as dead as you say he is then he'll still be dead after dinner."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Eat."

Ashley paled at the suggestion. "To be honest Mom, I'm not hungry. The body was pretty gruesome, I cant face food right now. Urgh." she emphasised for dramatic effect. "I bet it didn't turn his stomach though, eh?" she said with a smirk indicating Jack the Ripper as he tried to melt away into the shadows of the hallway beyond. John's eyes bore into hers as her passive revenge attempt took effect.

"I wont intrude," he said quickly, turning to leave before he became trapped.

"Wait," said Helen.

He stopped, albeit reluctantly.

"Stay for dinner. You can both tell me more about it."

Ashley raised a eyebrow trying not to laugh at the look on her fathers face. He was absolutely torn. Torn between staying and having to eat Helens cooking or escaping to his hated, damned solitude. Provoked by Ashley's poorly concealed laughter he took a deep breath and admitted honestly his fears.

"Helen, your cooking always was awful and I don't expect that has changed over the years. I'm sorry but there it is."

The smirk dropped from Ashley's face as Helen waved the sharp knife around crossly.

"Fine," she snapped. "Don't say I didn't ask you."

The dynamic duo thought they could sense a shade of hurt in her voice.

"However," he carried on with a great effort. "It would be interesting to see if it has improved at all."

"Suck up," mouthed Ashley, secretly pleased he was staying and at the same time terrified of the trial by food which lay ahead.

Helen tried not to look too pleased. "Ashley, go and set the table."

* * *

_Written for the Diehard Challenge: 'Family Man'_


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